These 2 works are experimental pieces, written for TTBB soloists and percussion. I have chosen uncommon, obscure Old Testament texts as the basis for these settings. The story of Eglon and Ehud, found in Judges 3:15-22 is rarely if ever set to music, and is a vigorous, dramatic expression of the "very fat man" Eglon and his murder by Ehud. The second piece in this volume is a setting of most of Proverbs 26, set for TTBB soloists, finger cymbals, and drum set. This setting involves vocal percussion and scatting.

This work originally started as a sort of musical joke or basic "sketch" while I was in college studying composition in 1996. I wrote the piece for a baritone singer friend of mine (now Fr. Stephan Baljian, the person to whom this piece is dedicated), as we both studied music at UMass/Amherst. I wrote several short movements (no longer than 5-10 bars each) for a Kyrie Eleison, a Christe Eleison, another Kyrie, and a Gloria. I had in mind the Organ Masses of Haydn, which provided utility in his day, as well as themselves poking fun at the stuffiness of the church institution with their brevity and whimsy. I called my initial work a "Missa Brevis," taking that notion to an extreme level with this ultra short work. In 2012, as I was looking through many of my old scores from college, I saw these short "Mass" movements, and thought to myself "I should really finish this." Well, I'm not the same person I was in 1996, and my inclination for how this work should be "completed" did not end up keeping the theme of "Missa Brevis" that I had started with some 16 years earlier. The 4 movements contained in this score were all completed very quickly in January and February 2012. Little did I know that my little Mass setting (which I started more as a joke back in 1996) would turn into a 70-page piece that takes 20 minutes to perform. After completing the first 4 movements of this piece, I started to hit a bit of a block.... perhaps it was Divine Guidance telling me "leave well enough alone"? For whatever reason, each time I would start trying to write the traditional final movement of most mass settings--the "Agnus Dei"--I would feel somehow that this additional, 5th movement was somehow making the work too long and was sort of anti-climactical, as the Agnus Dei is traditionally a more calming, reflective movement. I decided to leave the Mass as a 4-movement work, trusting that the demands I was making on both the baritone soloist and on the pianist were high enough in the 4-movement structure. The piece also feels more or less "complete" after the triple-forte ending of the "Sanctus & Benedictus" movement (movement #4). This piece is probably not at all appropriate for liturgical use, though in the right context, it might work that way. If you have any questions about this work, want to contact me for any reason, or want to report a performance, please email me at [email protected] "Mass for Baritone & Piano" is an incredibly intense, rip-roaring exploration of an ancient Latin (with some Greek) text that has been spoken or sung millions of times for many hundreds of years now by Catholics all over the world. Strangely though, not being Catholic myself, I don't see this work as a religious work per se, though it is spiritual in the sense that music itself can elevate and expand our consciousnesses if we're open to it doing so. I am hoping that while "fun" might not be the word someone might use in approaching this piece, that the performers and audience alike will find the experience enjoyable, expressive, and emotionally charged. --Michael David Golzmane

This cantata "God Made Rainbows" is a 45-minute exploration and celebration of the often complex emotions and experiences of folks who find dual identity in both the LGBT and Christian communities. Most of this cantata's narration and song lyrics were written by individuals who have consciously engaged with the struggle to step into a fuller expression of their inner knowing, while simultaneously dealing with the often ostracizing influence of traditional Christianity, especially in the religion's beliefs around people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. "God Made Rainbows" isn't meant to be preachy, or to give easy, simplistic answers. It is an offering of poetry and song that is meant to resonate with the deepest longings all humans share--for acceptance, love, freedom, community, and encounter with the Deepest Essence of All Life that some call God. This 45-minute-long musical experience is offered to help open our hearts to the experience of what it means to be human, and what it means to be on a spiritual journey together. This work is scored for 2 solo violins, harp, 1-2 narrators, 1-2 soprano soloists, baritone soloist, piano (optionally doubling with electric piano), and SATB choir. Here is the movement structure: 1. Interlude/Narration 1 (electric piano) 2. Prelude (for 2 violins, harp, and piano) 3. "One Day" for SATB choir, violin, and piano 4. Interlude/Narration 2 (electric piano) 5. "I Was Wondering" for soprano solo and piano 6. Interlude/Narration 3 (electric piano) 7. "Across Eternity" for baritone solo and piano 8. Interlude/Narration 4 (electric piano) 9. "God Made Rainbows" for soprano solo and piano 10. "Long Time Ago" for SATB choir and piano

Are you a lightworker, spiritual energy healer, devotee, meditator, Reiki practitioner, chanter, or just a person on a consciously evolving spiritual path? Do you ever find that the expanded consciousness you experience while in your spiritual practices doesn't seem to be filtering into your everyday earthly life? Not only that, but do you get blissed out connecting to the higher realms, only to return to your earthplane life feeling ungrounded, spacy, irritable, and unable to translate your spiritual insights into flowing, effortless physical manifestation? You are not alone You've already made the most important decision of your life--opening to your spiritual path. You just need help grounding the spiritual light you are accumulating so that all areas of your life can benefit, you can feel healthier and more balanced, you can share long-term relationships with soulmates and friends, attract stable ongoing wealth through soul-filled work that expresses your purpose--so heaven can come to earth through your very life Isn't this what the spiritual path is supposed to be about? Not just brief moments of spiritual connection followed by struggle, but a life that fully expresses your humanity and your divinity--one holistic, integrated, balanced journey from glory to greater glory. Join spiritual healer Michael David Golzmane as he shows you easy-to-apply tools for achieving greater integration, balance, and grounding as you continue to evolve on your spiritual path.